IRVINE >> Mira Costa High’s championship hopes were brought to a halt Wednesday at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatic Center with a 7-5 loss against Arroyo Grande during the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 girls water polo playoffs.

Despite leading 4-2 at the half, the Mustangs (15-10, Bay League No. 2 seed) were outscored 4-0 in the third quarter and were ultimately shutdown the rest of the way by Arroyo Grande goalie Emily Sonny.

The junior notched 15 saves, including a number of stops in one-on-one opportunities inside the 3-meter mark.

The Mustangs opened up an early advantage on a 5-meter penalty shot by co-captain Kelly Giery just one minute into the contest, but the top-seeded Eagles (24-5, PAC 8 champion) responded 15 seconds later with a 5-meter goal from Isabella Manuele.

The second quarter belonged to Mira Costa as Kaylee Brownsberger, Giery and Aminadi Anorve each scored within a span of just over two minutes to give the Mustangs their 4-2 lead heading into the break.

Arroyo Grande’s counter-punch lasted longer, however, as the team rattled off five consecutive goals to end the third and begin the fourth quarter.

Rebekah Hernandez and Brittany Winn paced the Eagles with two goals apiece, while Brownsberger and Giery each netted two for the Mustangs.

Mira Costa coach Jon Reichardt credited Sonny’s performance in the net, as well as the overall effort of both teams.

“We made some good shots there in the first half and then their goalie stepped up and made some good blocks,” he said. “We let down a little bit defensively and in a game like this when two good teams are playing, they’re going to take advantage of it.”

Reflecting on his 17th season at the helm, Reichardt said he is proud of his team’s overall performance.

“It’s been a great season, great bunch of girls,” he said. “They put a lot of effort into it. Our seniors did a great job of leading us and I couldn’t ask for better people.”

Arroyo Grande will face Martin Luther King High or Troy in the final on Saturday at Woollett Aquatic Center.